Features
When will the AU take its destiny into its own hands?
When Africa is mentioned, things that readily come to mind are poverty, conflict, famine etc. The narrative on Africa has been nothing to write home about. From West Africa to North Africa to the Central part of the continent, to the East and the Southern part, there is evidence of an unrest, a conflict or some other strife.
Currently, there is a serious conflict raging in Libya despite the COVID-19 which is ramping through nations and destroying economies. The other unenviable tag is a continent with a lot of epidemics like Ebola, which has been a thorn in the flesh. A deliberate effort at rebranding must be embarked upon to change the African story and this endeavour is non-negotiable.
The baffling question is why the African Union (AU) is in this situation when the continent is the richest in terms of resources, in the whole world? Respect is earned and not granted on a silver platter, and for as long as African countries and the AU as a collective, begs for assistance from donor countries, the requisite recognition as a partner of equal status to other trade blocs and continents would continue to be a mirage.
When other countries are adding value to their raw materials and exporting them to other places to generate enough foreign resources to increase their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to promote the necessary growth and living standards of their populace, most African countries are still exporting raw materials.
According to the insider.com, the Chocolate industry is about $103 Billion Dollars. President Akufo-Addo in one of his numerous addresses, stated that Ghana and Ivory Coast together produces about 65 per cent of the total world cocoa production, yet can account of just about $6 Billion Dollars.
This is clearly the predicament of the African countries and, therefore, the predicament of the AU. Until there is a deliberate policy to focus on value addition and hence an industrialisation, the revenue inflows would continue to be forever inadequate and Africa would not become the economic power that it should be in order to generate the required respect from the international community.
The COVID-19 disease exposed the continent’s lack of preparedness to deal with epidemics or pandemics and the urgent need for the AU to speed up the industrialisation of the continent as part of the integration process among nations of the continent. It is not as if we need to reinvent the wheel to be able to implement policies that would speed up the integration process.
There is the European Union (EU) which has been in existence for quite some time that the AU members can study and adopt or modify where necessary to give the AU project the momentum needed, to become really established to help the people of Africa and Africa descent both on the continent and in the diaspora.
A picture sent to me via WhatsApp showed a map of Africa with the natural resources available in each country clearly displayed. A glance at the picture removes any doubt about the fact that Africa is the richest continent in terms of natural resources. In the near future, petroleum will lose its importance due to the use of electric vehicles and the clamour for reduction in CO2 emissions.
The countries or continent with other natural resources will become the most sought after trading partners and it is for that reason that the Chinese have embarked on a serious project of establishing relationships with African countries and the AU as an organisation.
According to Wikipedia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has the potential to provide a third of the energy requirement for Africa. The right leadership that can implement policies that fit into the overall agenda of AU in the individual countries is what is required to transform the AU into a global player.
This was the vision of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and is still relevant today as it was many years ago, and, I dare say, much more relevant now when countries are establishing alliances. There is no lack of personnel with the requisite skill in any field of endeavour to bring transformation on the continent. What is required is the need to eschew selfish agenda of the various leaders of the individual countries and Africa will become a very powerful force to reckon with.
The need to address the crossing of the Mediterranean Sea by illegal migrants from Africa through Libya is an issue that must engage the attention of the AU. The conflict in Libya is what has enabled this issue to fester. The AU must take charge by sending in an AU force fashioned after the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) model. Africa cannot always rely on foreigners to resolve its problems totally. When it initiates an action to resolve its problems, that would mark the beginning of the process of gaining recognition and respect at the world stage.
The illegal migration from Libya can easily be resolved if there is a stable legitimate government in place in that country which the AU is obliged to help establish. The creation of an AU force must be given priority attention, so that the Libya conflict can be dealt with as soon as possible.
When the desperate attempt to embark on illegal migration to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea stops, then the international community will begin to see Africans in a different light. At the moment, in the eyes of the world, Africans are a bunch of desperate and dangerous people who do not care about their lives. The AU would have to create the necessary environment for member countries to generate employment avenues for their populations, especially the youth to enable them shun the idea of illegal migration.
A deliberate policy must be adopted to instill in the African youth, a sense of self-worth and self confidence, that he or she is equal to any other person in the whole world no matter the colour of their skin. The sense of inferiority complex established by the colonial masters should be thrown away mentally, so that the African can be mentally liberated to pursue higher dreams.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement signed by 54 of the 55 countries of the continent, is one of the best things to happen in the life of the AU. It provides a wonderful opportunity for trading among countries on the continent. It is a vehicle with the requisite potential to quickly facilitate the transformation required to elevate the status of the AU to that of a respected player in the geopolitical arena.
The good book even says that “money answereth all things” according to Ecclesiastes Chapter 10, verse 19. Economic power is what gives nations and trade blocs the power to influence decisions on the international stage and, therefore, it is imperative for Africa and for that matter the AU, to become an economic power house to influence international issues. It is high time the AU was given a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, given our contribution to world economy in terms of natural resources. Resources alone is not going to give us the right unless we translate the resources into huge GDP and that is what would command the respect of the world.
Writer: Laud Kissi-Mensah, a social commentator
by GhanaianTimes
I have often been saddened by the condition of Sikaman musicians. Of course, some are not musicians. They are jokers who think anybody who can sing a hymn is a musician. And why wouldn’t they think so when people think that every man wearing a rasta hair is a reggae musician?
Well, these days, almost everybody is dreaming of becoming a musician, even some ministers and parliamentarians. And it is never too late for them to begin learning the solfas and composing songs like “If You Do Good You Do For Yourself,” after all, life begins at 60 these days. If you die three years later, that’s your luck.
For the jobless, becoming a musical star is an everyday dream. They think when you are a music maker, you automatically break alliance with poverty. They are often mistaken.
I know people who claim they are musicians but are always fasting not because they are devout moslems or are on a hunger strike, but because even one square meal a day is a perpetual wahala. And the only drink they can afford is the poor man’s holy whisky which has a thousand names including ‘Nyame Bekyere’.
Even most of the popular musicians we see in town claiming they are foreign-based stars are more of hustlers than musicians. When they tell you they are going on tour abroad, it is a careful way of saying they are going overseas to scrub the whiteman’s toilet or pick tomato or apples to save their neck from musical poverty.
When they are back to Sikaman, they appear quite flamboyant with chains hanging all over them. They change the few dollars they have scraped, spread it around and promptly get broke. Then they can organise another ‘tour’. In between tours, they struggle to release an album and that levels them up a bit on the financial balance.
It all points to the fact that the life of the average musician isn’t quite organised. He has no calendar, no programme and no concentration on the job. He has to wash plates, become a waiter, janitor and toilet scrubber while finding time to make music. No musician succeeds in life that way.
One musician I’ll always respect, who thinks deeper than the ordinary Sikaman musicians is Carlos Sakyi. He is not like the Kokoase guitar musicians who see the world just in terms of bitters, a willing girlfriend, constant supply of kokonte and jot.
Carlos, often loved for his percussive overtones in gospel music, and once a gospel-rock star, has studied the life of Sikaman musicians and has evolved a blue-print for a great improvement in their lives work, finances and comfort.
In short, he has simulated a Motown-style environment for musicians and his formula is working with accuracy with the five musicians he has started with. The blue-print is what has brought MEGASTAR into being. It was launched on September 15, 1995 at the National Theatre.
When it got launched, many probably thought Carlos was “too know or was dreaming more than he should and won’t think about himself. Anyhow, the MEGASTAR is now an institution musicians can look up to, a big phenomenon with lots of promise for struggling musicians.
Music business in the developed world is not the way we regard it cheaply here. A musician is never distracted by how his finances go; his contracts are entered, his engagements made, his interviews arranged, his personal security guaranteed.
Music is his business and that is where his mind is and his attention focuses. Other aspects of his life are programmed for him by his managers. They hire who has to light his cigarettes, massage him, drive his car and the one who will say “Good Luck” when he sneezes.
A bodyguard whose face is exactly like that of the devil is hired to scare off muggers, psychopaths and criminals in general. Sometimes his girls are organised for him.
So the only thing the musician does apart from sleeping and snoring is to concentrate on making music, and true to it, no one can succeed in any venture when he is distracted.
This is how the Michael Jacksons, Lionel Richies, Dolly Patons and Whitney Houstons have made it with dollars packed and over-flowing. They aren’t any better than Sikaman musicians. The only difference is that they know how to organise their lives.
I managed to corner Carlos Sakyi and asked him to tell me how MEGASTAR was doing. He is the Managing Director of Megastar Limited, a music company that has a board of directors and a chairman. Carlos Sakyi shares the proprietorship with a partner. Carlos himself was one great musician who played for a band that beat Eddy Grant on the charts.
“Megastar is in fact a concept born out of the idea that the future security of the Ghanaian musician which has always been in jeopardy can now be guaranteed. Artistes spend too much of their time doing things on their own, chasing money and not concentrating on music. So their full potential is never realised. Some are in fact producing at quarter-rate. That is why they aren’t making much headway,” he told me.
“Megastar is now giving them the chance of the lives. We handle the interviews of Megastar artiste, their press releases, costume, engagements and everything they hitherto used to do themselves. We get them exposed on M-Net and we have contacted BB to get on their programmes. We handle their finances pay them salaries and bonuses, so they only have to concentrate on music
“Most importantly,” he continued, “we do not make all the decisions. Management always meet with the musicians to take the decisions that affect them.”
But who are the Megastar musicians? One is the great Amakye Dede, a star from birth delivered onto the earth with music on his lips; he is the man who feeds hungry ears with musical salad and harmonic sausages. He is the recipient of many national awards.
Next is Naana Frimpong, a latter-day Carlos-groomed songbird with the voice of an angel. She sings to kill. Her beauty has charmed her audience and they stare and stare at her.
The sensational and fantalising Tagoe Sisters are the next. The twin music machine is one that has produced the cream, arguably the very best, of gospel music all these years. I hear they are inseparable; not even their better-halves can keep them apart. Are they Siamese? They dance, and when on stage, they move the crowd.
Then comes Reverend Yawson who is a known songwriter. He is imbued with the Holy Spirit, speaks in tongues and of course sings in tongues. He is God’s representative on the group.
What about my good friend and super-heavyweight, Jewel Ackah? He is a star figure. His appearance is awe-inspiring, his voice golden. A great delight to be-hold when at his best in stage-craftsmanship, he has beaten his contemporaries to it both on land and on sea.
They are the pioneers of the Motown idea. They are all releasing new albums this year. Let’s see how it all goes.
In recent years, the term “female rage” has gained significant traction, symbolising a collective shift in how women’s emotions are perceived and addressed.
This phenomenon is not merely a fleeting trend but a profound movement rooted in centuries of systemic injustices, personal betrayals, and societal expectations.
As women increasingly reclaim their anger, it is imperative to understand the multifaceted nature of female rage, its causes, and its implications for individuals and society at large.
The historical context of female anger
Historically, women’s emotions have been subject to dismissal, ridicule, and pathologisation. The term “hysteria,” originating from the Greek word for uterus, was used to describe women’s emotional states as irrational and uncontrollable.
This legacy of silencing and shaming has contributed to a culture where women’s anger is often suppressed or stigmatised.
However, with the rise of feminist movements, women are challenging these narratives, asserting their right to express anger and demand change.
The anatomy of female rage
Female rage is not a monolith; it is a complex and multifaceted emotion driven by various factors, including:
1. Societal expectations: The pressure to conform to traditional roles of passivity, politeness, and emotional labour.
2. Gender inequality and pay gaps: Frustration stemming from systemic discrimination in the workplace and beyond.
3. Sexual harassment and abuse: Trauma and anger resulting from pervasive violence and objectification.
4. Emotional labour and burnout: The unsustainable burden of managing emotions and responsibilities in personal and professional spheres.
5. Hormonal fluctuations: The impact of hormonal changes on emotional states, often overlooked or dismissed.
The power of anger: Reclaiming female rage
Far from being a destructive force, female rage can be a catalyst for change. When acknowledged and channelled constructively, anger can drive advocacy, policy reform, and resistance against inequality.
The #MeToo movement, women’s marches, and increased representation in politics are testaments to the power of collective female anger.
Addressing the Stigma: Towards a more inclusive dialogue
To fully harness the potential of female rage, society must address the stigma surrounding women’s anger. This involves:
1. Validation and recognition: Acknowledging women’s emotions as legitimate and worthy of attention.
2. Creating safe spaces: Providing platforms for women to express anger without fear of backlash.
3. Education and awareness: Challenging stereotypes and promoting understanding of women’s experiences.
4. Support systems: Offering resources and support for women dealing with trauma and systemic injustices.
Conclusion
The age of female rage is a moment of profound transformation, where women’s anger is no longer silenced but celebrated as a force for justice.
By understanding the roots of female rage and addressing the societal structures that fuel it, we can move towards a more equitable and compassionate world.
The journey is complex, but the destination-a society where women’s emotions are respected and their voices are heard is worth the struggle.
References:
[1] Chemudupati, P. (2022). _The Rage of Women: A Historical Perspective_.
[2] Traister, R. (2018). _Good and Mad:
By Robert Ekow Grimond-Thompson
